


Hybrid?

by Xbertyx



Series: Hybrid collection. [1]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Character Death, Drug Abuse, F/M, Insanity, Swearing, Terminal illness?, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-07
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-04-08 05:15:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 15,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4292082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xbertyx/pseuds/Xbertyx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when a reaper is infected with demon venom? What happens when you're too late to tell the love of your life how much you love them? What happens when you're in love with your best friend? Unique plot :) Also, this is set in 2005. You'll see why later.</p><p> </p><p>///edited on 20/7</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lover's tift.

 

The picture above is just to show you who one of the side characters is. Taken from the ova William the repear, the black haired male is called Luke in this. Not sure of his Canon name sorry. Lets begin.

 William had been noticing Grell's strange behaviour for a couple of days now. She just seemed off somehow. Not as chatty or flirty. They had been together for ten years now after all, he should be able to tell if something was troubling her. He had loved every minute of those ten years, finally being able to have her once the department had wavered that silly rule preventing coworkers from dating and was thinking of proposing to her in the near future. However, that wasn't the pressing issue right now.

 It was Monday morning, about half hour before they had to port over to work. Grell was sitting quietly on the stool in the kitchen, painting her nails. "Grell? There's something I have been meaning to ask you."

 She looked up at him. "Yes, what is it?"

 William pushed his glasses up his nose. "What's wrong Grell? You've been seeming down as of late."

 She glanced at the floor. "You know we've been together for ten years now Will, and in all that time do you realise you've never told me that you love me?"

 Williams concern turned to annoyance. That fact was true but he never believed it was important to say it, as long as you showed it. Plus he was a man who was never any good at putting his emotions into words. "You know that I do Grell, saying it doesn't make a difference."

 She stood up abruptly, nearly knocking the nail polish over and crossed her arms over her chest. "Just say it. It hurts never having heard those words off of you. Whenever I say it, you never say it back."

 "No, words aren't important Grell."

 "Dickhead." Snatching up her coat in hurt and anger, she stormed out of the door and headed to work. William just sighed. If it meant that much to her, maybe he should just say it, he thought to himself as he headed to work too. He was starting to get a headache and figured they'd sort out this little lover's tift when they got home.

 Grell stormed into work, marching into her office to grab her ledger and begin her day of reaping. Lately, she had been training up this new reaper named Luke Tate. She was to teach him the basics, while out reaping on assigments herself. He was a short, young man with spiky black hair. Though Grell had thought of him as a bit 'spineless' at the start, she had grown to like him. He was a pretty sweet youngster, much like her best friend Ronald.

 Though Grell was considered a good mentor, she was known for her less than sensible actions sometimes. Fearing she may go off on another 'Jack The Ripper' style killing spree, dragging the new reaper into it too, the reaper accociation higher ups had decided to put Ronald Knox with the pair, to keep Grell in line.

 It wasn't a bad decision, Knox was known to be the only one to calm the fiery female. Plus, Grell had trained him up herself and he hadn't turned out as bad as some had feared.

 The three met up in the main hallway and ported off to the east end of London, to start collecting. It had begun to rain, much to Grell's dismay, as her hair began to frizz and Luke's ended up flat and plastered to his face.

 Knox had noticed how she seemed angrier than she would normally be at just a pouring of rain. "Senpai, are you okay?"

 A flash of sadness crossed her perfect features. "It's nothing babe, me and Will have just ... well er. He won't tell me that he loves me. I've always thought he did, he treats me so well but lately I'm began to doubt it."

 "Have you told him how you feel?" He asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

 "Yes, i told him I wanted to hear him say it and he still wouldn't. Well never mind, we best get going with these reapings or William will kill us both." She jumped off onto the roof of the nearest building, before hopping across to reach the location a few streets away.

 Knox turned around to Luke. "So how are y' finding bein' a reaper, kid?" Luke smiled. "I'm starting to enjoy it actually. Miss Sutcliff makes it quite fun, she's really something isn't she?"

 "Well we best get going, kid." Knox said, following the direction Grell had just gone. 'Yes, she really is something' he thought to himself sadly.

 The truth of it was Knox had been madly in love with her ever, since the fiasco with the ship full of zombies. Holding her on the railings at the front of the liner, he had wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and kiss her.

 He couldn't though. He knew how in love she had been with William, ever since she had met him. Plus he knew she loved him dearly as her best friend and he didn't want to ruin that. 'If I had her, I'd never stop telling and showing her how much I love her'.

 Shaking the thought from his mind, he joined Grell outside a theater hall, which was engulfed in flames. Luke caught up with the pair. "So there's going to be 216 deaths here tonight, huh? We're going to be super busy." He said, as fire engines came into veiw. Busy they were, as they entered the building, harvesting the souls and collecting the cinematic records.

 Just as Knox stamped the last name as complete, a Mrs Deborah Knowles, there was a loud bang, as the ceiling was blown in and 10 Demons entered. Grell's mouth turned into a menacing smile at the thought of ripping apart these demons. "Alright Luke, it's time to put what I've been showing you in practical skills to good use." She giggled and jumped off to slice the first Demon's head off with her mighty chainsaw.

 Grell had managed to take out four of the Demons, their black blood sticking to her hair and face. Knox and Luke had both taken one out each.

 Knox went to smash the 7th demon in the head with his mower. He managed it but the demon had been able to shove its long, twisted claws into the main body of his sythe. Black smoke billowed out and it came to a stop with a sickening crack. "Shit." He cussed, as two Demons surrounded him and Luke, one from in front and one behind.

 Taking out the last demon in front of her, Grell looked over in horror. Two pairs of claws went to stab the two male reapers. Luke shut his eyes, expecting to feel sharp pain but instead his shoulder collided with something. Looking up in shock, from the floor he had been shoved onto, he heard a sharp cry of pain.

 Grell was standing between the two Demons, with two pairs of claws sticking through her torso, one from in front, the other from the opposite side. She had knocked them both out the way at the last second, sacrificing herself for him and her best friend, who was also looking up from the floor with a look of absolute horror on his face.

 As they pulled their jagged, venomous claws from her body, expecting her to fall down dead right there, she breathed out "big mistake," before swirling around with her chainsaw and killing them both within seconds.

"Oh good lord, Grell, are y' okay?" Knox asked, running up to her, as she wiped some blood she had coughed up from her chin with her sleeve; her face had turned a sickly Pale grey colour.

"Yes,  Ronnie ... I'm ... I'm."She managed, before collapsing against Knox's chest.


	2. Losing you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William had planned to propose. But with Grell injured what will transpire?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like saying Knox instead of Ronald. No idea why aha. Cliff hanger. #sorrynotsorry

 William rubbed his head in tiredness. With two hours left of his shift, he'd had quite a busy day. First the argument with Grell, which had been on his mind all day. Then he had finally given in the the nagging guilt in the back of his head. He would tell Grell tonight how much he loved her. He'd also made reservations at a posh restaurant for tonight, on his dinner break.

 Finally he'd gone porting over to the most expensive jewellery shops in Hampton, London, to find out a gorgeous engagement ring. He was glad he was on a high wage and that he had his credit card on him, as the ring was worth a small fortune, due to the fact the stones in it were a unique shade of red that didn't usually appear in engagement rings.

 Yes, he decided, he would tell her how much he loved her and propose to her that night. Now though, he was waiting anxiously for the end of the day, stomach bubbling with nerves and hunger, as he hadn't had time for dinner on his actually dinner break. He hoped she wouldn't still be mad at him or worse, think he proposed just because of the argument.

 His cell phone ringing in his suit pocket jolted him from his thoughts. "William T. Spear-."

 "Will, get down to the infirmary now!"

 William stood there puzzled for a moment. "Knox, what's the meaning of this, what's going on? Aren't you supposed to be-."

"It's Grell, she's hurt." Knox cut him off again, "y' gotta get here now and y' best tell 'er you love her." He could hear Knox starting to cry on the other end. Not bothering to say bye, he ended the call and made his way to the infirmary as quickly as possible.

 Grell was lying on top of a bed, her shirt cut off and blood leaking from four jagged wounds, which had cut straight from one side of her to the other. Knox and Luke were next to her, Knox gripping her hand in his own shaking one.

 Her skin was almost transparent, nothing like the peachy complexion it usually was. Veins around the wound weren't the expected red but had turned a sickeningly deep purple, almost black colour.

 William, though taken aback by the sight in front of him, marched up to the doctor. "What's her condition, sir?" He asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

The doctor looked at him and then over to Knox. "Would you and Ronald please step outside with me?" William didn't like the sound of that at all.

 Stepping out with them, the doctor made a long sighing noise. "The wounds she has sustained are serious but it's the fact that the claws of the Demons who attacked her, are laced with venom. I'm afraid she isn't going to make it. I'm very sorry."


	3. Into a void of black flames.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens. Plot twist oh my. Comments appreciated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 5am so excuse any typos. Il be back to double check it once I get some sleep. Currently getting all emotional over the songs in kuroshitsuji musical 2. Lol

 Meanwhile in the infirmary, Grell had reached her hand out to take Luke's. She could see he looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "You're going to make a brilliant reaper one day, darling. I was very proud of you today." Her voice was hoarse and sounded pained.

 "Shhh miss please, don't be wasting ya' strength right now. Please rest."

 Grell smiled at him softly through the agony that was coursing through her torso and shooting into her arms and legs by this point. "Dear, I'm not going to make it. I already know that much - I". Her words were cut off by a sharp pain and a cough of blood. She gripped Luke's hand slightly too hard, before she composed her. "I want you to have my scythe, I think it'd be a nice little toy for you, in case you run into any more demons."

 "No, miss I couldn't! It's my fault you're hurt." Tears leaked down his face, as he admitted that which was tearing his conscience apart.

 "It's yours now, darling, you'll look quite fetching with it." Anymore words of hers were cut off with another choke of blood and a small whimper. Luke grabbed a fabric tissue from his tattered suit pocket and wiped the blood away gently from her mouth and cheek.  
\----

 William was taken aback but that soon turned to anger. "What? She's a reaper, isn't she? Demons can't kill reapers so easily!"

 "Usually that is the case, Mr Spears, but these demons are a very special sort, very powerful and very deadly. The venom is attacking her nervous system. To be quite honest, I don't know how she isn't screaming out in agony right-".

 Knox cut him off. "Isn't there something y' can do doctor, please?!" Tears streaked his face.

 "Again, I'm very sorry. You should go comfort her in her time of need now."

 "No this, this can't be happening. I was meant to propose to her tonight. This can't happen, no I can't lose her!" William's composure broke and he fell to his knees in the hallway.

"Boss come on, y' ... y' can tell 'er that ya'self." Knox said, kneeling down next to him.

 When they entered the room again, Luke had a very scared look on his face. "Luke, would y' mind steppin' out for a second, so ... so me and Will can speak to Grell alone?" Luke nodded and dashed out the room quickly.

 William sat down on the very edge of the bed and ran his fingers through her lovely hair. She was fading in and out of consciousness now. Her pale skin was sweat soaked. "Will ... make sure Luke gets my chainsaw ... will you."

 "Yes of course. I ... I love you so much, Grell I'm so, so very sorry for never telling you before."

 Tears slipped from Grell's eyes. "Please ... tell me you're ... not just saying that ... be - because I'm dying."

 William wiped her tears with the edge of his thumb, his own now falling. "I mean every word."

 That seemed to be enough for Grell, her eyes slipping shut. "Hn, hurts." She whispered weakly. William felt his heart clench at those words. "Tell Ronnie, he ... means ... The world ... to ... to me, won't you?"

 Knox walked closer to the bed. "I'm right 'ere babe ... y' mean ... mean the world to me too." He choked out weakly, knowing full well his whole world was about to collapse around him at any second now.

 "Hn, it really hurts Will". She said weakly, her nose scrunching slightly. "It's more fun that way though ... I ... my end won't be ... d ... dull at least. Love you Wil-." With that,  her eyes slipped shut and her body fell limp, the last few tears she would ever weep sliding down her flawless features. William wiped them away and kissed her forehead softly.

 They both couldn't bear to stay in that room any longer, once they had said goodbye to her. Seeing the once vibrant, energectic reaper just lying still was too much. William picked up the chainsaw and composed himself, before stepping out into the hall. Turning to face Luke, he handed it to him. "She wanted you to have this, make good use of it. You're learning period is over, Mr Tate."

 Luke teared up slightly. "Thank you, sir."

 He and Knox walked down the corridor together, Knox making small sniffing noises, trying his best to not break into sobs. "Ronald, I know this will seem unprofessional but would you please stay at mine tonight. I can't bear to go back to 'our' home alone."

 Knox broke into sobs at hearing how empty the other man sounded and reached forward to pull William into a hug. "Of course .... s-she loved y' ev-ever so much ... I could do wi' the ... company myself."  
.........

 This was the part the doctor was dreading. He hadn't told them the full story at all and knew what was about to happen. He had heard about the effects of this certain sort of venom a lot in his text books but never thought he would see it happen in his whole life as a doctor. To be honest, he didn't really think it would happen, he assumed it was just a myth passed off as truth. 

 The bed the little, lifeless lady was lying on burst into black flames, making the bed invisible behind its cloak. When the black flames dispersed, the bed was intact but Grell's body had vanished.


	4. It hurts so bad.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new twist.

 William and Knox headed straight back to William's flat, that he had shared with Grell. As soon as they opened the door, they both looked at each other. The place stank of demon and it was coming from the bedroom. "Bastards have come back for more, I'll show 'em the true meanin' of pain." Knox's fists clenched, as William pushed the door open to the bedroom.

 Turning the light on quickly, they scanned the room but no demon jumped out at them. "Shh, what's that sound?" William said, lifting his hand to Knox's mouth, as he was about to start swearing again. There was a small, dry, sobbing sound coming from the one side of the bed, against the wall. Knox walked quickly around to look for the sound's source." 'Oly shit." He breathed, wide eyed.

 "What is it Knox?"

 Against the wall sat a curled up form they both knew well. Naked and shaking, the redhead looked up at the both of them.

 She looked different however. Usual hair which was fully red, now had jet black tips. Her nails looked longer and thicker and were also black. Black veins spread under unusually transparent looking skin, branching out from the spots where her wounds were before, up to her chest and around to her back. The closer the veins got to where her heart would be, the broader they became and the black turned more to a deep violet colour.

 It was those beautiful eyes that startled them most though. The usual green and yellow double rings were circled with black and purple and looked cloudy, a mist moving behind the surface.

 William gripped the end of his death scythe and shoved it forward, lifting her chin to make her look him dead in the eyes, the dull end pinning her neck against the wall. "What exactly are you?"

 Her hand shot out and grabbed the metal, just above the pinchers of his scythe. She shoved it towards him,making him fall backwards onto the floor.

 Grell's mouth turned upwards in a manic grin, her usual sharp teeth having fangs to the front canines now. Laughing like a lunatic, she stood up, walking to stand in front of the pair. "I can smell your blood, it's so sweet. Makes me want to feas-." Her face fell into an expressionless, blank form. Sanity and the realisation of her surroundings seemed to hit her like a brick.

 "Will? Ronnie? What's going on? I'm so confused." Legs buckled under the sharp reality of the situation. Fingers gripped the thick, red shag of the bedroom floor. Arms shook, black tears running to fall against the carpet below. "It hurts so bad."


	5. Losing his cool.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit gruesome. Please remember that William and Knox both have a deep dislike for demons at this moment in time.

 "It hurts so bad."

 Those words stung William to the core but still he wasn't convinced of their safety around 'this thing'. He was pretty sure it was just a demon. He handed his scythe to Knox, who seemed to understand, as he gave a quick nod.

 William leaned over to her from his sitting position, cupping a few fingers underneath the deathly see through chin, lifting her eyes to meet his.

 "Grell, is that really you?"

 She looked at him, tears still seeping from her eyes. "You told me you loved me. Then I died. N ... now I'm here? What? Why?" Her eyes glinted with danger suddenly, menacing smile back in place. "I'm so hungry." William's breath hitched in his throat with anger, gripping her by the throat tightly and shoving her down onto the floor.

 "Filthy soul stealing demon." William spat at her, using his knees to pin her chest to the floor as he tightened his hold on her throat, pushing his thumb against an Adams Apple. Her eyes widened in pure fright. She tried to push him off but he was hurting her too much. The end of William's scythe slammed into her wrist, tearing through to the other side and holding one arm against the ground. Knox had lost his temper.

 William felt her whole body tense up in pain but she couldn't scream, he was choking her too tightly. "Now I'm going to ask you one more time, reaper to demon." William said, through gritted teeth. "Who are you?" He loosened his grip slightly to allow 'it' to speak. There was no response, just more pathetic, wracked sobs.

 Knox moved over and gripped her other arm, pinning it down by the wrist. "He asked you a fucking question, you piece of shit! I suggest you answer it." Pulling a knife from his back pocket, which he had grabbed from the kitchen on their way to the bedroom, he shoved the blade through her palm, pinning the other arm to the ground. "Think as it as a life or death decision."

 A scream echo'd around the room. More sobs and shaking from the red head. Knox was getting angrier by the second. This thing had the nerve to come to Grell's partner's home, disguised as her, after taking her away from the both of them and it was now trying to make them feel bad for what they were doing.

 "Tell me why I shouldn't jus' kill y' now." He shouted at her, as he grabbed another knife from his pocket and pressed it against the skin of the little room William had given her neck.

The next words took the two reapers by surprise. "Just do it, kill me." A hoarse voice whispered.


	6. Call the doctor?

 "What?" Knox asked, his anger faltering.

 "Just kill me. If 'a filthy demon' is all you think of me, just make it quick. I've been through too much pa ... pain the last few hours, even for my liking." She shrieked. Knox gritted his teeth, pressing the blade down, little black blood droplets seeping from under the sharp edge.

 William felt her whole body clench under him as she squeezed her eyes shut, expecting sharp, deathly pain. That sight pained Knox, seeing an image of the woman he so loved in such as state, because of his actions.

 "I'm callin' that doctor." Knox said suddenly, pulling the knife away. "He must know somethin' about this mess." William nodded, looking down at that beautiful creature pinned under him. A being he shouldn't find beautiful. She still had her eyes squeezed shut but had relaxed slightly, lip drawn nervously into her mouth.

 "Hello?"

 "Doctor Cole, tell me what the hell is goin' on."

 "Grell is there, isn't she? I was so hoping this wouldn't happen. Before you ask, yes it is her. She's a hybrid now though, the venom can't kill a repear, per say but can turn them into part demon."

 William looked up, having heard the conversation so far, from the speaker mode of Ronald's phone. "Pass me the phone."  
He held it up to his ear with one hand, his other still pinning Grell at her throat.

 "So it really is Grell, not just some demon taking her form?"

"Yes. Though I'm not sure if you can trust her. She's still part demon and is probably craving souls right now. Don't hurt her, just keep an eye on her and don't let your guard down."

 "Very well, thank you doctor." With that, he clicked the phone shut and tossed it back to Knox.

 "Now what?"

 "I don't know, Ronald, but we should just wait until morning and take it, I mean her, to the council then." He said, letting go of Grell's throat completely. She wheezed slightly.

 "So it really is you, Sutcliff, thank god. I thought I had lost you for good." William said, getting off of her, reaching down and yanking the knife from her palm.

 Rnox walked over and pulled out the point of the scythe. Blood pooled around her and she whimpered and tried to sit up. Her arms gave way under her and she fell back down, smacking her bare back against the floor.

 William bent down next to her, scooping her up into his arms and lifting her onto the bed. Knox went and got a few towels from the en suite and pressed one to her palm, while William applied pressure to her wrist. She was shaking quite badly and leaned her head against Will's chest. "I'm so ... con .. fused." She breathed out.

"I know, so are we but we'll figure this out, I promise." He whispered, pressing his lips against hers, kissing her slowly and gently. Pulling away, he rested his head on top of hers. "I'm just grateful you're alive."

 Grell had fallen to sleep shortly after that. Demons don't sleep but being part reaper, William assumed she still needed rest. They also noticed that the wounds on her palm and arm had healed in a matter of an hour. It'd normally take a repear a day to heal from a human weapon and twice as long for a wound made by a scythe.

 The two males decided to take it in turns to keep an eye on her, while the other slept. They would need to be refreshed for when they asked to speak with the council tomorrow.

 Grell spent the night snuggled into William's chest, the blanket wrapped around the both of them tightly. William spent his waking hours just staring down at his beautiful partner, hoping with all his might that things would work out okay in the end.


	7. Insomnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronald reflects on the nights events.

 Ronald didn't get much sleep that night. His mind was a blizzard of thoughts that didn't even make sense. For one, Grell was now part demon, which meant they couldn't trust her anymore. At least not at the moment.

 Secondly, he had gotten so angry with her. So angry in fact, that he was blind to the fact that it was actually her and not just a demon in her form. He had hurt her, impaled her to the floor actually. He didn't even know if she would forgive him or what she would act like once she woke up.

 It wasn't even just him, William had reacted in anger. A common side effect of grief, Ronald thought with a sigh. That wasn't the only source of his problems either. His heart was breaking over this woman, who would forever be out of his grip. In some ways he was glad about that.

 He had turned into someone he couldn't even recognise anymore. Loving the fiery reaper wasn't the only secret he was keeping and he knew if William found out, he'd be in for hell. As for Grell? She'd probably butcher him right there on the spot. At least for now, he could hide it, trying his best to keep up with the demands of his job. However, each day, he felt himself getting a bit more volatile. The past few hours had definitely proved that.

 The time passed slowly. The numbers on his digital phone clock never seeming to move. When William had woken up to change shifts of watching over Grell with him, Knox had told him just to go back to sleep. That he wasn't tired. That was true, he was too anxious over the council's verdict tomorrow.

 Morning came and Grell opened her eyes. She'd had the most awful dream. Her whole body felt heavy. A sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach twisted and churned. It felt like hunger but it wasn't like any hunger she had felt before. She was wrapped tightly in the bed covers, firmly pressed against something. When she looked up, she saw that the something was actually William.

 Shifting slightly, she realised she hadn't got any clothes on. 'That's odd, I don't remember getting frisky last night', she thought, finally managing to get out from the cocoon of fabric. A shriek left her lips, as she looked down at herself. Those black veins. It wasn't a dream after all?

 "Grell, y' okay?" 'Wait why is Ronnie here' She thought, only to remember flashes of last night. A knife. Black blood. Searing pain.

 It was almost time to head to work by the time William had woken up and managed to calm his partner down, who was almost on the verge of a mental breakdown by the looks of it. William's phone rang. The council had set a time to see both him and Grell, in an hour. Seemed they were really not going to take this matter lightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's knox hiding?


	8. Court is in session.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trial. Will Grell be disposed of or given a chance?

 It had taken Grell a while to get ready that morning, even though she was trying to hurry, as to not be late for this council meeting. God knows what they would do to her if she was. Still, she had to apply a thick coating of make up, to try to mask her almost see through complexion.

 She didn't like the way she looked at all right now. In fact, she looked ill, which matched how she felt. Still feeling sick to her stomach with awful twisting pain, it was taking all her energy to just get changed and brush her teeth.

 Walking into the reaper accociation was not a pleasant experience at all. As soon as the automatic doors closed behind her, the reapers in the main hall all turned to look at her. They could smell the demon on her and the hall fell quiet. Hushed whispers passed between the workers, filled with venom and hatred.

 Grell could hear it all and it was hurting her ears. They must have gotten sensitive since becoming part demon. "What does the boss think he's doing bringing that vermin in here?"

 "Is that Sutcliff?"

 "Yeah I think so ... no, its just a demon, best to stay away from scum like that."

 "Ugh, hopefully the council will dispose of it."

 She walked closely behind William, eyes fixed down to the floor. She was normally confident, even when other rumours spread around, about her being 'easy' and 'a tart' but this was different. She couldn't really blame them for their dislike of her, demons were the biggest issue facing reapers on a daily basis.

 Still, it hurt. The vile words filled her head, whirling around and burning into her mind. She was getting such a headache and felt even more sick and dizzy than before they got here.

 Finally, they entered the lift and headed to the uppermost floor, where only people involved with the council could go. William turned to her, taking her hand in his and giving it a comforting squeeze. "Don't worry, I'll sort this out, I promise."

 "Right through that door, please." A fair skinned receptionist said, looking at them both in disgust and pointing to the big double doors. William knew that room was the courtroom for reaper criminals and his heart sank.

 The moment they entered, a tall security guard grabbed Grell from behind, while another handcuffed her. They weren't normal metal ones however, they had what looked like Latin writing on them. Some sort of incantation that a demon wouldn't be able to break out of.

 "What's the meaning of this?" William said, trying to stop the anger in his voice from showing.

 The judge, who was sat in the front central seat of the courtroom spoke. "Please take a seat, Mr Spears. We are just taking nessacary precautions." William took the assigned seat, while Grell was shoved into the witness box seat. A bucket was poured over her head, obviously containing holy water.

 She shivered slightly but nothing that would be expected of a demon. "It seems that reaper body isn't demon at all. Must just be demon blood coursing through its veins." One of the court members stated.

 The judge banged his mallet down. "The trial of Mr Grell Sutcliff is beginning. We will now hear the evidence." William knew that title would burn her deeper than any holy water.

 The main witness was Dr Cole. "Well, as we have never seen a case like this here, there is no evidence to give really. So far, she seems to be tame. The only information stated by the medical documents I have read regarding this situation, states that the demon blood inside her will try to make her feast on human souls. Repear souls are not safe either. However, I recommend we observe the situation, instead of jumping straight to culling her."

 The judge nodded. "What other affects can we expect from a hybrid? There was a case such as this 300 years ago. It was handled by the reaper Adrian Crevan, over in France at the time but he never kept any records or told anyone what the outcome was." William looked up in shock. The Undertaker had handled it before he had deserted the association, he thought.

 "I have no idea of the affects of such a merge, I'm afraid. I have read that the blood will alter her nervous system and hormones, making her act differently to her normal personality. I will continue to research, to try to find out more and also to find a cure for this. Though I have to admit,  this is quite fascinating." Dr Cole stated, rubbing his hands together.

 The judge didn't look very happy at this statement. "Fascinating or not, lives are at risk. I have made my decision. We will spare his life for now, but you, Mr Spears and also Mr Ronald Knox, will keep an eye on him. He will continue reaping as usual but with one of you supervising him at all times. If he slips up even once, your job will be to kill him. He is on thin ice, after the Jack The Ripper incident as it is."

 That much was true. Even after a century, the fact that she had broken the fundamental rule of 'reaping souls not destined to die' made her still be considered a risk. The council still worried she would flip and start murdering people again. 

 William stood up and bowed. "Yes, you're honor." Grell just sat there. She didn't want to say anything, incase she got herself in more trouble. Plus, she felt very dizzy and weak. She hoped it was just the stress of the past few days and not the effects of this 'demon blood'.


	9. Numbing the pain.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sex scene. Consensual though :) things will start turning grim for our main characters in the next few chaps.

 They had been given the rest of the day off after the court session. Grell had only started to feel worse when they got back to the flat, not better. She felt so hungry but all the human food in the cupboard was making her feel nauseous. Just the smell of it, she hadn't even attempted to eat. Even water was disgusting to drink.

 William was growing concerned. He placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Are you okay, sweetheart?" He asked, sitting down on the sofa next to her and wrapping his arms around her. "You're all cold and clammy."

 Grell nuzzled against his chest. "I think the stress has just gotten to me, darling. I'm cold though. Feels like it's stuck in my bones. Maybe you can warm me up?" William could see where this was going.

 "Oh and how would you have me do that?" Grell looked up with a smirk on her face, hand reaching to rub against the crotch of Will's pj bottoms. She didn't even need to tell him, as he pushed her down on the sofa, capturing her lips with his. His hand reached under the fabric of her nightgown, stroking down her sides. She shivered slightly and ground her crotch up against his, small gasps coming from her mouth, as friction came into play.

 Grell was right, she was freezing, William thought, as he pulled her gown off and threw it against the floor, rubbing his fingers over her nipples. Kisses trailed down her neck and into the crease of her collar bone. She pulled his top off and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, kissing him eagerly.

 Grinding down on top of her, before slipping his hand into her panties, he pumped her slowly. "Oh Will." She breathed, head falling against the arm of the sofa. He pulled her panties all the way off, hand reaching up to press him fingers to the edge of her mouth. She sucked on them eagerly.

 Feeling one finger pressing into her, she made a small whine. This hurt more than usual. Sliding his finger in and out a few times, he pushed a second in. She didn't usually take very long to prepare. Her body clenched up at the intrusion, making William look at her puzzled. "That really hurts." She whimpered. "Wait Will, if I died and then came back, does that make me a Virgin again?"

 "I'm not sure Grell, do you want me to stop?"

 "N ... no, just be gentle." She said, adjusting herself slightly under him to get used to the feeling. William pulled his fingers out and stood up. "Hey, I said don't stop, where are you going?"

 With a push of his glasses up his nose, he turned to go to the bedroom. "To get lube."

 Pulling his own pants off, before spreading Grell's legs open a bit wider and settling between them, he coated his fingers liberally and slid the first one back in slowly. The second one slid in without as much resistance and he felt her relax a little against his hand. Scissoring the two for a while, he added a third, rubbing the tip of her member with the thumb of his other hand.

 Sliding his fingers out and coating himself, he lay between her legs, pressing his chest to hers and lifting her bum to put a cushion under it. Holding her hips in place, he slid in as slowly as he could. She winced slightly but didn't say anything. After a few moments, he started sliding in and out with long slow movements.

 Kissing her softly, he picked up speed. "Ah, ow. Will, slow down a bit, darling".

 "If it's too painful just tell me to stop".

 Grell looked at him, hurt crossing her features. "No. I want this, please don't stop." William nodded and started moving slowly again. Grell wanted this more than anything at that moment, even if it was just a distraction from the drama she was currently surrounded with. Just a way to numb the pain.

 Small moans started escaping her lips, as she adjusted to the rhythm. Will picked up speed, grunting in pleasure. "Hn, I think you were correct, ahh, about the Virgin theory. You're so tight Grell. Ohh fu-."

 He thrust against a certain spot inside of her and her back arched up in pleasure. "Ohhhh, right there Will, fe ... feels so good." It did, her senses did seem to be sharper and just like her hearing, her nerves seemed more sensitive.

 Crashing his lips against hers, he thrust hard and deep. Grell gripped onto his hips as her member rubbed against his body, sending shivers down her spine. Letting out a loud moan, she released between the space between them, her muscles clenching around him, pushing him over the edge, as he rode out his orgasm, thrusting roughly a few times, before collapsing against her chest, panting.

 After a while, William sat up to put his pants back on and Grell noticed how freezing she felt, shivering violently, before nausea hit her and she turned on her side quickly, gagging as bile escaped her. This wasn't a good sign at all.


	10. Intoxicated by love.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronnie starts to lose the plot.

 Knox sat alone in his apartment, an almost empty beer bottle in his hand. He'd had enough. Having received a phone call from William earlier that day, once he and Grell had been to the trial, telling him he would be in charge of looking after Grell on assigments when William was elsewhere, his mood had turned sour.

 It wasn't that he didn't want to help her. Heck, he loved her to pieces. It was the fact that he still couldn't shake the feeling that Grell had changed. That it wasn't his Grell anymore. That didn't even make sense, Ronald thought, 'She was never yours to begin with'.

 It was also the nagging issue of the secret he was trying to keep from everyone. He didn't want Grell to find out and he didn't want to risk hurting her for a second time. Standing up, intoxicated to high heaven, he threw his bottle against the opposite wall. It shattered, just like the way he felt, broken on the inside. He decided he'd push her away tomorrow. Right now he needed sleep.

 Grell had been up most of the night, the sickening dizziness making her vomit up stomach acid on numerous occasions. William stayed up with her, rubbing her back and holding her hair up for her, trying his best to comfort her. She finally fell into a restless sleep about 4am. Nightmares of demons and the death of Madam Red making her toss and turn.

 Morning came and she felt a bit better, just extremely tired. Walking to her office to start some paperwork, she was stopped by a group of young male reapers. She hated them, they were always the ones spreading rumours about her, calling her a whore and a freak for the way she dressed. The leader of this little gang was a pale, tall, ginger male by the name of Joseph Dunn.

 "Well, if it isn't the filthy little demon slut." He teased, shoving her back against the wall.

 "Get away from me, before I kill you." Grell shrieked at him. She wanted to, his soul smelt good and made her want to feast. She knew better though, it would just get her killed.

"Dirty bitch," Dunn roared at her, gripping her collar with one hand and bringing his other arm back, curling his fist ready to punch her. Seemed as if their abuse was going to go beyond name calling, now she had become like this.

 "I wouldn't do that if I were you, unless you want to be demoted." William said, walking up to the group. Dunn let her go and walked off, turning around to glare at the two of them as he went. The gang followed him off.

 After making sure she was alright, he and Grell went to Ronald's office, so that they could start their assignment together. "Come on Ronnie, let's get reaping." She said, trying to sound more cheery than she felt, as she pushed his office door open.

 "I'm not coming." That statement caught William off guard.

 "What do you mean Knox? The council has ordered us both to look after Grell on her assignments for the foreseeable future. You have no choice."

 Knox stood up from his chair. "I said I'm not going, not with tha' filthy demon. That isn't our Grell."

 Williams eyes narrowed. "Have you lost your sense of sanity Ronald? You have no choice and you're speaking way out of line."

 "Tough shit." Ronald scoffed, turning to walk out the door. "That's my decision."

 Grells eyes started to burn with tears. "Ronnie?"

 His heart stung, hearing the hurt in her voice. He didn't really want to do this but he had to. That couldn't really be his Grell and if it was, he couldn't risk hurting her. "Wha'?" He snapped.

 "I thought, I meant the world to you." She whispered.

 Ronald walked out the door. "I said that to 'er, not t' whatever the 'ell y' are."

 Grell had been inconsolable for the next hour and wouldn't move from the floor of Ronald's office. When William finally managed to get her to calm down, telling her Ronald would come around and that he'd be with her on the reapings until then, they made their way out of the room to pick up their ledgers.

 As they left Williams office, Luke ran straight into Grell, nearly knocking her flying. "Miss Sutcliff! So it's true, you really are back. I'm so glad." He said, pulling her into a hug.

 "Can't you smell me?" Grell asked, confused by how happy he was to see her.

 "Yes, you wreak o' demon but I don't care, you'll always be my friend, you saved my life after all. Joseph is being an arse about it though, I don't know why I'm still his friend, aha. Oh I almost forgot." He said, pulling Grell's treasured chainsaw from under his coat. "You'll be needing this again now you're all, you know, alive again. Anyway I have to go or I'll be late, bye miss!"

 Cheered up slightly by Luke's words, they did their reapers for the day. Grell was so hungry for all those souls they collected but she kept herself together enough to not slip up. They ported back to branch after a few hours, William having to do paperwork till late that night. He told Grell to go home and get some sleep, as she looked exhausted.

 Grell decided to go to the cemetery before heading home however, to visit Alan and Eric's graves. It was located at the back of the reaper head quarters and being so small in size, it was behind a field. Not many reapers died after all. Once reapers had been forgiven for their suicides, they simply moved on and disappeared. Grell had no idea why she wanted to visit them but thought the Dr might be right about the demon blood messing with her emotions.

 After visiting, she walked back to the field but started to feel sick again. She rested herself against the fence, trying to stop the dizziness from overpowering her. She didn't realise Dunn's little gang was approaching, until it was too late. A sharp pain echo'd through her head, as she was knocked to the ground.


	11. Trigger warning.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They couldn't just hurt her, they had to make her think she was enjoying it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a seriously brutal chapter. Very violent depictions of rape/non con. Made me sob my heart out just writing it. That's all this chapter is. I did it that way so people who don't want the graphic details can skip from chapter 10 to 12 and will know what's going on. **trigger**

 Grell hit the grass below, the sharp blow to the back of her head making the world spin around her. She felt someone grip her hands and bind them behind her back, sitting down on top of her. She knew who it was instantly.

 "I'm finally going to prove what a whore you are." Dunn said, bending down to breathe on her ear. "And no one is going to stop me, 'cause your just a filthy demon. In fact, I think my boys are going to enjoy the show." Grell didn't have enough strength left to shout a comeback or put up any sort of fight, as she felt her bottoms and pants being pulled to her ankles. Her mind felt too spacey to do anything at that moment.

 Forcing her eyes shut, she tried to stop the bile from rising in her stomach. Dunn gripped her hips, forcing himself deep inside of her. Grell managed to let out a choked sound, somewhere between a scream and a sob, pressing her head into the grass, trying to block out what was happening from her mind. Her insides felt like they were on fire.

 Dunn gripped a handful of her hair, thrusting deeper and rougher inside her. Rolling them both over, he pulled them into a sitting position, looping his arms with hers to keep her in place. Grell kept her head down, trying to hide the trickle of tears from behind her fallen hair. She could hear them laughing and mocking her and it made her feel worthless.

 "I knew you'd like it, such a slut. So nice and tight too." He taunted, nodding for one of his gang members to come over. The other man knelt down and gripped her harshly, pumping between her legs.

 A small moan escaped Grell's lips and her hips bucked up to meet his hand. "S ... stop it." She breathed out, through sobs and moans. It was so humiliating, having her body go against what her mind wanted. It felt like she was cheating. She was already being raped, why did they have to try to make her feel like she was enjoying it?

 "Ah, ah, please ... s ... stop, just stop. Oo ... no. I ... don't want this ... hmm, Hn, ohhh." Her pleas were lost, as she started moaning loudly. Her head fell back, mouth gaping open, as he rubbed his thumb over her slit, pre cum oozing out of her.

 He dug his nail into her tip, making her hiss out in pain. It felt like absolute torture to her. She gritted her teeth, trying to stop herself from making anymore noise but it was no use. Her hips were practically humping his hand by now. Her body wasn't listening to her at all by this point, as primal urges kicked in.

 Dunn carried on his assault, shoving up hard and fast inside her. She could feel blood leaking down between her legs. It was so painful, she thought she was going to pass out.

 Another joined in on the fun, pulling down his pants and pressing his hard on to her lips, a hand pulling her head back by the hair. "Heard you were good at sucking dick, demon, open up." He said, pushing between her lips. She gagged slightly, trying to breath as best she could, as to not throw up.

 She wanted to bite it off but it would do no good. Everyone would think she was just a vicious monster if she did so. 

 A pressure was starting to build in the pit of her stomach, her muscles clenching, making the assault even more painful. "Hmm you like that don't you, pretty boy." The one holding her member said, as his grip on her got tighter. Her eyes went wide in horror, as she felt sticky warm liquid seeping out of her. Thighs quivered as she felt herself release into this monster's hand, more tears spilling down her face. A muffled "ahh" sounding from her mouth.

 She nearly gagged again, as a salty taste slid down her throat, the man in front of her grunting in pleasure, thrusting deep into her mouth before he pulled out.

 Dunn shoved her off him, her shoulder hitting the ground with a harsh crack. "Such a dirty whore, you're so filthy, you even cry black. You loved ever second of that didn't you?Damn tranny."

 His foot collided with her stomach, once, twice, three times. Over and over again. Grell's vision clouded, everything fading to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to explore how hatred for another race could impact people's lives. Grell is being brutalised here for something she cannot control. They had always called her a slut and now she was a demon they could humiliate her without anyone caring. Joseph is a sicko.


	12. Into a field of narcotics.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronalds secret is revealed.

 A few hours earlier, Ronald had rushed onto that field, after pushing Grell away. He was hitting a new low but he didn't care, he had to make the pain disappear, if only for a while. No one would see him anyway, this field was always empty. Still, it felt low doing such a thing at work. Leaning against a tree, he pulled his tie from around his neck and rolled up his sleeve. With the help of his mouth, he tied it around his arm and pulled it taught.

 Pulling a needle from his brief case, his breath starting to quicken in anticipation, he pushed it into his arm, already a speckle of track marks and bruises lining pale skin. He had never meant to sink this low, but he had always had an addictive personality. In fact, in his human life, he had dealt with a drinking problem. Drowning his sorrows deep in whiskey, over a girl he couldn't even remember the name of anymore. Old habits die hard he supposed.

 That's how it had started off this time as well. He had always been known around the office for never being able to stay sober at parties. Those parties had turned into everyday occurrences, sweaty clubs, sloppy kisses, washed down with copious amounts of vodka.

 One night, some girl he'd picked up for the night, who was obviously high on something, handed him a bag of pills. "This will make everything better." She giggled, shoving him against a wall behind the club, kissing him roughly and sliding her hand into his boxers.

 Pills soon turned to powder, Lsd to Cocaine. Then from Cocaine to Crystal Meth and finally to Heroin. Wild rave parties in a world of psychedelics, turned to snorting Coke off a random girls stomach at her place, as grunts of pleasure and the smell of sweat incased skin filled the room.

 Before long, that turned to waking up in some place he didn't recognise, body aching and needle still stuck in his arm. His mornings became a mad rush to get ready for work, not remembering what had happened the previous night, flashes of some man pulling his pants down and flipping him into his stomach his only recollection. Forever trying to hide his dying need for another fix, as he pushed through his work day, became the norm.

 It wasn't as bad as it could have been, as reapers were able to recover quicker than humans. Withdrawal symptoms were minimal and he managed to hide this addiction well. However, his work was getting sloppy and he knew that it was because of this, that Grell had gotten hurt that night. If his reflexes had of been as sharp as they should have been, he could have dodged their attacks without her jumping it.

 It pained him to know this situation was all his fault. His friends were suffering now, because of him.

 'Should of sat down first', he thought, as his legs gave way and he slid down the tree. Resting his head back, he felt the high coming, the pain and heartbreak ebbing away with each pulse, as the drug took affect in his blood stream.

 Eyes slipping shut and senses starting to fade, he lost consciousness, arms falling loosely to his sides. He woke up a few hours later. As he came back to reality, he thought he had heard a scream, carried through the field on a breath of wind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About half way through this story now.


	13. Regrets and bandages.

 It took a while for Knox's senses to return to him. Remembering the scream he thought he had heard, he got up with shaky legs, pulling his tie from his arm and dropping it to the ground, alongside the used needle.

 The high had passed, leaving just a ache in his body and a pounding head. As he went in the directed he thought the scream had come from, he saw Dunn and his friends leaving the field to return to headquarters. An uneasy feeling passed through him, as he carried on walking as fast as his wobbly body would allow.

 As he reached the end of the field, he could hear a faint sobbing sound coming from the tall grass. A tangled form lay face down on the grass, only recognizable by the signature crimson hair which was a tufted mess of fibres congealed amongst dried, black demon blood.

 She looked in a bad way. Hands still bound behind her back and bottoms crumpled beside her. Dried blood was pooled in the space between her legs. Her arms and legs were covered in newly formed dark purple bruises.

 "What the?" Knox gasped at the sight, dropping to his knees to untie her. She tried to lift herself up onto her elbows but her body felt broken. Ronald rolled her over and pulled her close, resting her on top of his knees. Her face was scratched and bruised, pale in places the grass had rubbed her make up off.

 "Ronnie?" She whispered, voice crackling.

 "Yeah it's me, who did this to y'?" His heart hurt just looking at her in this condition. It was his fault again, if only he had just gone with her on the assignment.

 "Do you really hate me?" She said, ignoring his question.

 Knox shook his head, eyes brimming with tears. "No I could never hate y', I'm so sorry for wa' I said to y' earlier."

 He had managed to port them both back to his flat. Laying Grell on his bed, he called William, shoving a packet of Heroin in his drawer to hide it. This was going to be awkward he thought, after he had swore at his boss just a few hours ago. "Knox, what's the meaning of this, have you regained your senses yet?"

 "No, its Grell, she's hurt pretty bad, boss. I think it was tha' prick Dunn. She's at my flat right now, jus' get 'ere as soon as."

 There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Very well. I'll be over shortly with some medical supplies. Assess her injuries and get her cleaned up." William dropped his phone on the table and shut the research book he was reading on hybrids, before porting over to the first aid room.

 Knox grabbed a pair of scissors and cut Grell's top off. It was clear to see she had a few broken ribs and what looked like a dislocated shoulder. Her left side was leaking blood from a small, deep wound which passed right the way through her. From the looks of it, the weapon used was a death scythe. They had obviously tried to kill her.

 Knox noticed how much weight she had seemed to have lost in just a few days, hip bones sharp against her skin and traces of sternum visible. She was still letting sobs pass her lips every so often but it concerned Ronald more that she was wheezing. Her boney chest struggling to rise and fall. He really hoped she didn't have a punctured lung, as he pressed a towell to her stab wound.

 "Ron ... nie." She managed to say.

 "Ye'?"

 "Stay h ... Here ... Please. Don't go. I feel ... all c ... cold and alone."

 He held her hand softly in his. "I'm not goin' anywhere again, I promise."

 William had arrived a few minutes later, first aid kit in one hand and clean clothes in the other. Knox had managed to clean the top half of her up but he didn't want to see what he knew they had done to her down there. Her wound was starting to clot, thanks to the healing abilities of her demon blood. Knox looked away, as William peeled her bottoms off and cleaned the blood from between her legs.

 This made Grell go into hysterics, crying between wheezes, remembering that brute's hand wrapped around her. "I'm sorry, Will ... I didn't want ... want them to do it. Didn't ... mean to cheat. P ... please believe me."

 He looked up at her, adjusting his glasses. "I know that. Don't blame yourself. The people who did this to you will pay. I'll make sure of that."

 Grell had fallen asleep, her wounds healing up quickly. The only thing left was her shoulder, that Knox would have to pop back into place later. He had done it before, when she had flung her chainsaw around with too much force in the past, managing to dislocate it.

 William stood up from the bed. "I have to go back to the branch, there were some things I was going to discuss with the Dr, before you rang. Keep an eye on her for me. I'll be back shortly to collect her."

 Knox looked up. "Wha' things?"

The other man sighed. "It seems the Dr hasn't told us the whole truth, even now." He looked back over at his sleeping partner. "If we can't find a cure soon, this demon blood is going to kill her."


	14. What are you hiding?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doctor visit. A dark and worrying explanation.

 "Why aren't you being straight with me, Dr?" William asked, walking into the Dr's office.

 The Dr swirled around in his seat, eyeing William. "Whatever do you mean?"

 "Cut the act, I read the research for myself, Grell's dying isn't she? Why didn't you tell me? You know more about this than you let on to the court too, do you not?"

 The Dr's smiled faded. "Would you have been happy if I had of told you? Yes, she's dying but it's not going to be a quick or pretty death. I didn't want to drag out your sorrow anymore."

 William sighed and sat down opposite the Dr, rubbing his head in frustration. "Just tell me everything you know. No matter how awful, I don't want you to leave any details out."

 "As you wish. I suppose it's a good thing you sat down. Basically, a reaper and a demon can never exist in the same body, it's fundamentally wrong. When you have a hybrid however, the two sides clash. If she caves and devours even one soul, the Grell you knew will cease to exist. She will turn into nothing but an evil monster. However, if she doesn't, the demon blood from the venom she received will start breaking down her body, to get to the nearest soul around, hers."

 The doctor stood up and walked over to a bookshelf, picking up some old looking medical scrolls. "I only just received this information on how she is dying however, so I wasn't hiding as much as you thought I was. These scrolls are Adrian Crevan's medical findings from 300 years ago. I had them shipped from the French branch. We didnt even think he had any records until recently."

 Dr cole paused, then continued. "The only problem is there is no information on how a person can be cured. I have sent the best carrier pigeon we have here at our disposal, to try to locate Adrian and deliver a message, asking for his help."

 William was shocked. "You're going to try to get in touch with a deserter? Why can't you try to figure out how to cure it? How do you know he'll even help?"

 Giggling, the doctor spoke. "I had the opportunity to meet him a few decades before he went off the deep end, when he was working as the Undertaker. We became quite good friends actually. His dog biscuits were absolutely beautiful. I'm quite confident, if he gets my message, he will help. As for me trying to figure out a cure, we haven't the time for that. Plus if anyone knows the key to this mystery, it'll be Adrian for sure. The man is a genius after all. Most mad men are." He said, grinning again at his last statement.

 All the information was making William have a migraine. "So how long has she got left exactly, if you haven't the time to work out a cure?"

 "Actually I was about to ask you, if you had noticed anything odd with her recently."

 William frowned. "Odd how? She's been a bit more emotional but that's it."

 "Has she been being sick?"

 "Yes, she has actually."

 "She lost any weight?"

 "Well, yes she has."

 "How much?"

 "I don't know, what does that matter?"

 "Well find out." Dr Cole said. "Better yet, bring her in and I can find out." There was something else ... erm. oh right yes, is she cold to the touch or feeling cold?"

 William's stomach sank. That was her main issue at the minute, never being able to get warm. William cursed himself for not thinking about that symptom sooner. "Well yes actually, all the time. Is that relevant?"

 "Oh, poor dear. Seems we have less time than I thought. You see, if she's feeling that cold, it means the demon side of her is already trying to extract her soul. Her body is already breaking down and if she really has lost a lot of weight, it just shows how strong the demon side is. As for being sick, that's her body rejecting the blood that doesn't belong there, like the body's mechanism to keep harmful substances out."

 William stood up. "Just be frank with me, how long has she got?"

The Dr eyed the floor sadly. "A few days. Maybe a week tops. I hope she is a fighter. She's just going to get sicker and no amount of drugs I have at my disposal will help her pain. Hopefully she is strong enough to hold on until Adrian gets here. It's just a waiting game, I'm afraid."


	15. Bones and bile.

 A few days had passed since the discussion with Dr Cole and William was becoming very aware of Grell's deteriorating condition. She spent the days dragging herself through collections. He had walked into her office on several occasions to find her slumped on her desk, asleep from exhaustion. Everytime he'd run his fingers through her hair, whispering her name softy until he was able to stir her from slumber.

 He wanted nothing more than to leave her there to rest but he knew if she didn't keep up with work, the council would see her as nothing but useless. He feared what they would do to her if they thought that, seeing as they were only letting her live due to her high practical skills.

 The nights were the worst though, when she would collapse on the bed as soon as she got home. The early hours were spent with her curled up in a fetal position, trying not to cry out, as agony dug it's claws into her stomach. She always seemed to be in a cold sweat, shivering from top to toe. When William finally managed to soothe her to sleep, normally not until 4am, he would wake up to find her gagging up bile.

 Her bones were starting to stick out in sharp angles. Even through her nightgown, his eyes could trace her ribcage, branching out on her back, meeting sharp bumps of her spine and rising up to meet prominent shoulder blades. Bruises were appearing all over her body, ugly yellow and purple against paper thin skin.

 The whole ordeal was exhausting him, forever willing her to fight on against the odds but also wishing her pain could just fade away, no matter what that meant.

 Waking up on the third morning after the Dr's words, William found her leaning against the sink, silent tears dripping into the ceramic bowl. She waved a hand over at the scale sitting next to the bath.

 "Will, what's happening to me? I'm down to six stone now, I'm usually nine. How can I be dropping weight so quickly?" William pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair to soothe her. He wanted nothing more than to tell her all that he knew about her condition but he knew he couldn't. The gravity of the situation would seem too real if he did so.

 As the day dragged on, Grell and Knox had finished their collections. Grell was leaning on the box of her chainsaw, wheezing slightly, her arms and legs shaking from exhaustion and dizziness. "Y' alright, Grell?"

 "Yes ... I'm, I'm ok." She breathed, before her legs gave out and she fell against Knox's chest.

 By the time they had gotten back to headquarters, she had regained her senses. Walking into the break room, a cup of steaming coffee in hand, she found Luke. She didn't even want the coffee, it tasted like hot oil to her but it was the only way to keep herself warm. She was wrapped up in a thick, turtle necked jumper but still felt freezing.

 "Hey miss," he said, getting up from the table he was sitting on with Dunn to come and greet her. He had no idea what Dunn had put her through.

 "Hello dear." Her tone being falsely cheery, as Dunn and the others started to shout insults about being a demon her way.

 Luke rolled his eyes, getting annoyed with them. "Idiots." He whispered to her, before he noticed how gaunt and pale she looked, as well as her attire. "Are you cold?"

 "Freezing."

 "How can you be cold, it's July and thirty degrees outside? Anyway can I speak to you about something in private?"

 "Of course, my dear."

 He had noticed Knox acting odd as of late and had made the mistake of following him onto the field the day he had decided to shoot up on Heroin. He didn't want to get him in trouble but knew Grell may be able to help him, if she didn't know already.

 "Hey slut, get out of here unless you want to ride on my dick again!" Dunn shouted across the room at her. Hurt crossed her features and Luke felt his anger bubble over.

 Reaching over to grab Grell's chainsaw from under her coat, he stormed over to Dunn and pressed it against his throat. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly, please repeat that."

 Dunns face clouded over with fear. "No ... nothing!"

"No, I didn't think so. Leave her alone unless you want this chainsaw up your arse." Luke spat, before turning to leave, pulling Grell with him by the hand.

 "What did they do to you!?" He shouted as they walked outside.

"Nothing hun, what did you want speak to me about?"

Luke handed her back the chainsaw. "I like this scythe, I used it a few times when you gave it to me, you'll have to show me how to create my own." His face dropped as he saw Grell's cup slip from her grip and smash on the floor. She hit the ground, body convulsing, as black liquid seeped from her mouth. "Miss, what's wrong?! Grell? Grell!"


	16. Convulsions and confessions.

 Luke was just about able to hold her still and rush her to the infirmary. Laying her on the bed, waiting for the Dr to arrive, he could see black veins appearing up her neck and down her arms, ghosting slowly under her chin.

 It was like hot, prickly, electric shocks jolting up her back and down her legs, making her whole body twitch uncontrollably. Small gasps and whines left her mouth, the pain mounting. Luke just stood there helplessly, holding her hand, willing some of his own strength to help her pull through this attack.

 She tried to move but her body wasn't listening. She wanted to scream her lungs out with the pain, tears spilling down her face. "Hang in there miss, please. The doctor will come and help."

 Her body started to respond to her actions but the absolute agony was building. Screams and sobs bounced off the plain white walls. Gripping Luke's hand, almost breaking skin with razor sharp nails, her legs kicked out, pointed heels scraping on the bed covers. Back arching and head lolling back, teeth biting down on her lower lip, drawing blood.

 "Make it stop! Oh it hurts, please make it stop. Ahh ..." The pain eased from the rest of her body, shooting into her stomach. She lunged forward, acidic coffee burning her throat, as more black liquid erupted from her, spraying over the end of the bed. She pulled her hand away from Luke's and wrapped it around her middle, trying to rub the pain away.

 Five minutes later, the Dr arrived. He took one look at Grell, who was now throwing up into a bin Luke had grabbed for her. He was rubbing her back, trying to comfort her. The Dr's mouth curved into a grimace at the sight.

 "How much coffee did you drink?" Luke asked, looking into the hall full bin.

 "That's not all coffee." The Dr pointed out sadly. "It's demon blood."

 After explaining all the details he had told William before, he left the room. At the mention of the Undertaker, Grell had started swooning. "Oh, that cold crazy man, I have been dying to see him again ever since he slashed me up on that ship, filled with the undead and handsome men, I can't wait to have a rematch with him." The Dr had a strange feeling the Undertaker had received his message.

 "Pain makes things more fun, but even a lady has her limts," she said, shivering slightly. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" Grell asked drying, her throat in tatters. Luke took a deep breath and recounted his story.

 As he finished, Grell's head shot up in anger. Her eyes burned with fury, as she pushed herself off the bed, ignoring the shouts of protest her body was giving her and stormed out the room. Luke realised he may have made a mistake telling her.

 William and Knox were just entering through the front doors, when a flash of red and black pinned Knox against the wall, hand slamming mere millimetres from his head.

"Why, Ronald?! What the hell!?" He gave her a confused look and she grabbed his arm, ripping his shirt sleeve clean off. Angry red marks were tracked down his arm.

 His eyes narrowed as he shoved her back. "Why? Y' really want to know why? I'm in fucking love with y', y' idiot and it's all my fault ya' hurt." He pushed passed her and sped off. He had ruined it now. Everything he was hiding had come to light at a blinding, lightening fast speed.

 He slammed open the door to his flat, angry, guilty tears running down his cheek. A pack of pills were swallowed down with a gulp of vodka, powder snorted violently, needle shoved into his skin. Not all the drugs in the world could kill a reaper, but he'd be damned if he wouldn't kill the pain waging war inside of him.


	17. 7/7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the London terrorist attacks. That's why I based the whole story in 2005. Tried to handle the storyline as best I could. Hope it didn't offend. There's only 2-3 chapters left of this fic.

 The day had arrived that William had been dreading all week. There was a huge assigment about to take place and he feared Grell would come apart, right in the middle of it. The state she was in that morning only added fuel to his fire of worry. After no sleep and a night full of tears over what had happened with Ronald, she looked at breaking point.

 Those black veins had spread all over her body and her eyes had changed, constantly wide with hunger and madness. He'd found her crumpled up on the kitchen floor, clawing at her own skin and mumbling about souls and demons.

 The date that day was 07/07/2005. Ronald hadn't turned up to work and they were short staffed as it was. Him and Grell were to take half of the assignment, three other reapers in charge of the other half. Sitting on the London tube, he was glad humans couldn't see them if they chose so. Grell had masked herself with make up but she looked crazed. Rocking back and forth in the corner of the carriage, shaking and yelling about all sorts of odd things.

 He placed a hand on her shoulder, jolting her back into reality. "It's almost time Grell, come on." At that moment a large explosion sounded at the back of the tube, pieces of metal flying everywhere. Some people were killed instantly, others injured and crying out in pain. Grell stopped to look at the people who had been hurt. She lifted a young girl up, walking to carry her from the wreckage.

 "Grell, what on earth are you doing?"

She looked around at him, speaking softy. "I want to help them."

"That isn't our job, you know that." William was getting concerned, this wasn't like Grell at all. She would normally love a job like this but she was actually showing some humanity.

 "I don't care, I want to help." And help she did. She probably saved a lot of lives that day, as William collected the souls of humans who were beyond help.

 The next location was a bus, which had exploded in much the same way as the tube. It was obviously a terrorist attack. Back at the reaper head quarters, the action was playing out on the news station. A figure appeared on the TV screen, a woman clad in red helping a bleeding man, his arm slung around her shoulder.

 The reapers watching the broadcast were in shock. A demon helping people? What was she thinking? Dunn couldn't believe his eyes, a tinge of regret in this gut. Had he really been so wrong about her? The doors to the headquarters opened, a sickly thin figure and her partner returning from their work.

 Grells mind was realing. She wanted to take the lives of the injured so badly, devour their souls but she had done the opposite. Why? Her body was screaming at her, telling her to feast. She felt weightless and heavy all at the same time. A sharp clunk echoed around the large entrance, as she fell to her knees, bones pressing into the floor.

 Her shirt had hidden up, exposing every single bone that made up her back. A loud shriek escaped her, as she gripped her hair, curling into the floor. So, so hungry, her body screaming at her, as her own soul was targeted by the demon blood. Blood pooled from her mouth, as agonised screams fell from her lips. William fell down next to her, pulling her to him. She clung to him for dear life, screams turning to wheezes, her chest struggling to intake breath.

"Will ... Please make it go away, it hurts so bad. I don't want to die like this, please do something." Desperate pleas, as William cradled her to himself, feeling her body turn icy against his skin.

 "You're not going to die." He said, trying to convince himself more so than her. "Just hang on." He didn't care that the whole room was focused on him. No one spoke a word, as they watched the creature they had judged so cruelly, wilt before their guilty eyes.


	18. Watch me fall

 Grell had survived until they got home last night. Freezing cold and still crying, pleas still slipping from her lips. It was breaking William's heart, seeing her in such a sorry state. He had changed her into some of his thick woollen pjs, trying to not look at the way her tiny bones were digging awkwardly into the bed.

 Wrapping them both up in a heavy blanket, accompanied with a hot water bottle, he kissed her softly on the lips. She relaxed slightly, shifting to lay her pounding head on his chest. She ran a boney hand under his top and placed it against his skin, feeling his heart beat beneath her cold fingers. "You're so warm Will, feels nice." She said weakly. "Hold me?" He wrapped his arms around her tightly, hoping it would keep her going, even if just for tonight.

 "Th ...Thank you for being there for me. I know I ... I haven't made things easy for you recently. But thank you for not giving up on me."

 Tears stung at the back of William's eyes. "I'd never give up on you Grell, I'd do anything for you. I love you with all my heart."

 "It makes me happy." Grell whispered.

 "What does?"

 "That you finally started telling me, that you love me."

 That night was the roughest of William's life. Grell would seem okay one second, the next thrashing about in agony. Smiles turning to tears, tears to screams and heart wrenching sobs, sobs back into smiles. They clung to each other all night, not daring to sleep incase it would be the last moments of one of their lives. He was thankful it was their day off work tomorrow.

 Morning came, giving William new hope. She was fighting the odds, making it almost the full week which the Dr had given her. Still she wasn't okay. She seemed distant, in her own world. William made the mistake of going for a quick shower. When he returned to the bedroom, Grell had disappeared. The bed clothes she had been wearing  discarded on the floor and the window wide open. Panic rose inside William, this was a bad sign.

 Running through the streets, death scythe in hand, he spotted her pinning a young woman against the wall. Grell had her hand clapsed over the woman's mouth, stopping her from screaming. Her eyes bore into the petrified woman, assessing the flavour of her soul.

 "Grell!"

 She turned her head to look at him, tears already streaking her face. "Go away, I have to Will. I can't take this pain anymore. It hurts so much."

 William took a few steps towards them. "No you don't, if you do, there's no turning back. I'll have to kill you." He gripped his scythe tightly.

 "Then you'll just have to kill me."

 "I don't want to, Grell, please just come back home, we can talk about this."

 A murderous mask crossed her face. "I don't want to talk. There's nothing you can do to help! Just let me eat already, for gods sake." Her shoulders began to shake, as more tears dripped down her face, mixing with the rain that had begun to fall.

 "No. Grell, please listen to me. When we first became reapers, I learnt the weight of a life, an importance of a soul. You helped me realise that when you saved my life. Now its my turn to save you."

 "You can't! We both know I'm close to death already. I can't wait around and hope any longer." She choked out.

 "Please Grell, I love you so much."

 "Shut up!"

 "I love you with all my heart".

 "I said shut your mouth."

 "No, I love you, I won't let you go."

 "Just stop talking!"

 "I love you, I love you, I love you!"

 The grip on the poor woman slipped away. "Just get out of here. Run, before I change my mind." As the woman fled, Grell fell to the ground. William knelt down in front of her, repeating those three words over and over, as she sobbed and bagged her fists angrily against his chest. They stayed there for sometime, soaked to the bone, as Grell pounded out all her frustrations, using her last bit of strength, as they sat there in the pouring rain.

\------

 Knox staggered across the dance floor of the club, leading a girl out of the building and down to his flat. Thrusting away all his emotions and pain, on top of his bed, deep inside a woman he didn't even know. 'Just fuck the pain away' he thought bitterly as he grunted, releasing into her.

\------

 Dr Cole entered his office. It was getting late but he couldn't sleep. As he turned the light on, a black nailed hand gripped his collar, pushing him against the wall. A leg pushed between his own, as soft lips pressed against his. "Long time no see, my dear love."

 "Adrian!"


	19. I'll  protect you, my love.

 Waking up the next morning, William looked over at the form sleeping next to him. After breaking down on the pavement of the street, she had crawled on top of him once they were back on his bed, begging him to take her.

 He hadn't wanted to at first, worried about how her weak body would cope. She'd just kissed him fiercely, telling him she didn't care if it hurt, she just needed to forget everything for a little while.

 Moans had filed the room, both holding onto each other tightly, craving the love of the other. It had felt so good for the both of them, a distraction from everything that was falling apart. She'd dug her nails into his back, groans and whimpers escaping her lips, as she bucked her hips and arched her back. They held each other, as close as possible, 'I love you's' and sweet words passing between them.

 The phone rang, pulling William from his thoughts. "Hello?"

 "William, it's Dr Cole, get Grell to my office straight away. Adrian is here."

 Hope filled William's being, as he rolled over to wake Grell. She woke but could barely move, her chest beginning to wheeze as soon as she tried to talk. William got them both changed quickly, before porting over to the headquarters. He carried Grell on his back, her head resting weakly against his shoulder.

 Ronald had gone into work that day, trying to pull himself together. He had to know how Grell was doing. As he entered the building, his saw the couple and raced over to them quickly.

 William told him she wasn't doing well at all this morning but the Dr had figured something out and if he wanted to come too, he could. All Grell had managed was a barely audible "Morning, Ronnie dear," before losing consciousness again.

 Suddenly, there was a huge bang and the ceiling was blown in, a demon jumping on the three reapers. Knox was thrown against a wall and William was knocked flying into the main reception desk. Grell's still form skidded into the middle of the hall, being woken back up by the shock.

 The demon walked up to her and grabbed her around the throat. "Such a disappointment for a demon, what a shame, you would have made an excellent fiend of hell." He tightened his grip, making her gasp for air and try to struggle back weakly. She could hardly move her broken body as it was.

 "Get your filthy hands off her," William roared, brandishing his death scythe ready to attack. The demon dropped Grell to the floor, turning around to slash at William's chest, forcing him backwards through a wall. Grell coughed, blood leaking from her mouth onto the floor. She looked over at William. He was lying unconscious, blood oozing from his wounds.

 Anger bubbled up inside her, a sudden strength forcing it's way through her body. "Don't you dare hurt him" She whispered, getting slowly to her feet. Her hair was covering most of her face, an evil smirk all that was visible. "I'm going to enjoy cutting you up".

 The demon laughed. "Please, you can barely stand, I'm going to tear that pretty little soul right out of you."

 "Whether I can stand or not, if you hurt the people I love, I will kill you."

 "Oh please, you don't even have your death scythe."

 "Oh? I don't need it my dear, you think I haven't realised my true demonic power?"

The demon gritted it's sharp teeth, taking a swing for her. His claws wounded her in the stomach. More blood leaked from her mouth but she stood her ground, finally lifting her head up, a crazed look in her eyes.

 Manic laughter ran from her mouth. "I'm just one deadly efficient hybrid." Some senior reapers entered the room, trying to see what all the commotion was about.

Black flames sprang from her body, eyes turning to slits. "With such power, wouldn't you rather join us demons? You belong with us." It said, circling her, it's sharp heels clicking against the tiled floor.

 "I'd rather protect the people dearest to me". Her voiced had changed, turned deep and husky. The demon took another swipe at her. Dodging, she clenched her fist, pushing it right through the Demon's body, killing it. Black flecks floated down, shreds of the creature. The flames around her flickered and died out, as she hit the floor with a loud crack.

Ronald rushed up to her. "Where's will? Is he okay? Go make sure he's okay!"

 "I'm fine, don't worry," William said, staggering towards the pair on the floor, blood drying against his torn tshirt.

 "I was so scared Will, I thought I may have lost you, I -". Her sentence was cut short,  as her body started seizing and her eyes rolled back in her head.

 "Shit boss, we gotta get 'er to the Dr right now." Knox said. 

 They rushed her into the office, the Dr quickly taking her down to the infirmary instead, hooking her up to some fluids to keep her going, while he explained Adrian's findings.

 The Undertaker had changed in appearance recently. His robe was gone and he was clad in tight jeans and a black tshirt that hung open slightly at his chest. He rested his hand on the Dr's knee as he sat down.

 They explained that the only way to cure Grell was the get a demon to draw out the blood from her system.

 "But we don't have anyone like that to help us."

 The Undertaker giggled. "Wrong, chilly Willy, Sebastian is a demon, remember? I popped over to their residence earlier and they agreed to help. The little demon lord said he wouldn't mind some entertainment." William's blood boiled hearing that Ciel would find this amusing.

 "Also, I'm sorry for being so late in getting here, it took that little birdy quite a while to find me. I got here as soon as I read the message. Hopefully the council will wave my arrest warrant now and me and the nice doctor can finally get married." He entangled his fingers with Dr cole's. William and Knox just looked at them shocked, who would have guessed?

 "As soon as Sebastian is finished, bring her straight back here. Her condition is quite critical already, shes dropped down to five stone now and we need to get her hooked back up to fluids, to help her reaper body recover."

\----

 William knocked on the door to the large estate. Sebastian opened swiftly, eyeing the three up with an amused expression on his face. Grell was starting to wake back up again, as William was instructed to lay her on the table.

 "Oh dear." Sebastian said, eyeing her. "This is no ordinary demon, this is satanic blood. I'm not quite sure how Mr Sutcliff managed to survive this long. I'm afraid this is going to take some special rituals. Please strip Grell off."

 "What?!" William gasped, eyeing Sebastian suspiciously.

 "Please, it's just the proper procedure." Ciel sat up to get a better view of what was happening.

 Her naked form was placed on the table and Sebastian bit into his hand, letting blood drip onto her bare thigh. He then took a knife to Grell's wrist. "Right, which repear wants to volunteer? I need blood from a demon, reaper and hybrid for this to work. Knox pulled off his glove and handed his arm over to Sebastian. Mixing all three blood types together, he drew symbols on her chest, stomach and both thighs.

 "Right, I'm afraid this may hurt a bit" he said, as he started to to recite words in Latin. He slid his fingers under Grell's rib cage. With a sharp push, he sliced through her skin, making Grell let out a hoarse, tired cry. He dug around for a moment, before pulling out a small congealed blob of thick black blood. It shrivelled under his touch. "All done."

 William thanked him quickly and the two reapers ported back as quickly as possible, not even bothering to redress her. They just didn't have the time.

 "Ohh, our rose does seem in a bad way, poor dear." Undertaker remarked, as Dr Cole hooked her up to the machines and drips.

 "Will, is it .. All over?" Grell asked, eyes half lidded.

 "Yes it is, please just rest for a while. Your body needs to recover." He said, rubbing soothing circles on her cheek with his thumb.

"Hmm." Her eyes slipped shut.

10/07/2006.

  
 William walked into the room Grell was sleeping in and placed a quick kiss to her forehead. It had been over a year and she still hadn't woken back up. No one could explain why. Knox was a mess, skipping work half the time to spend his day in a drug induced stupor. William carried a small box to the room each day, in his pocket. The engagement ring he was waiting to give Grell, once she awoke, if she ever did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end. Il be posting a few chapters up tomorrow with artwork from the series. Well just doodles really. 
> 
> The second series will be out soon. Probably going to wait a week or so before starting that one.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter doodles. Just putting my descriptions into art.

Just going to post links. Website is messing up. 

Grell in demon form:  
http://xbertyx.deviantart.com/art/20150710-013818-545486786?ga_submit_new=10%253A1436568125

 

Joseph dunn, the rapist: 

http://xbertyx.deviantart.com/art/Img-20150710-003235-545486460

Dr Cole. I wanted him to resemble the undertaker slightly with his silver hair and quackiness : 

http://xbertyx.deviantart.com/art/20150710-001035-545267164


End file.
